


Aether: The Chosen.

by Akumi



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Aether Done My Way, BAMF Darcy Lewis, BAMF Thor, F/M, Jane lovers beware, Jane's a Lying Liar Who Lies, Light Angst, Sorry Not Sorry, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Thor: The Dark World Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-04
Updated: 2015-09-18
Packaged: 2018-04-19 00:08:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4725398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akumi/pseuds/Akumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When she learned the truth about Jane's lies, Darcy had thought that reality couldn't get more painful than that moment. </p><p>Then she stumbled across a parasitic power capable of destroying the universe and, of course, it chose her for a host. </p><p>Then Thor and Heimdall kidnapped her, Odin was a douchebag, and things just progressively got more complicated from there.</p><p>It's been a really messed up day, okay?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "The Truman Show"

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by [Flustered's](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Flustered/pseuds/Flustered) story, [Plethora (of soulmates)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3397985/chapters/7458518) , Chapter 2, _So Many Smiles (and so many meanings)_. It's an amazing story and if you haven't read it, you should definitely do that now. 
> 
> Also, a huge thank you to my awesome and fantastic beta [jdho2!](http://archiveofourown.org/users/jdho2/pseuds/jdho2)  
> I randomly sent her a chapter for a new story when I still haven't sent her a chapter for the story I still need to update and she took my chaotic rambling with good grace. XD She rocked the betaing and fixed my mistakes and made confusing sentences make sense. 
> 
> Any existing errors are the result of my own negligence.

There was a swirling mass of emotions holding Darcy aloft, making her feel as though this moment in time wasn't real, wasn't tangible. Everything was off kilter as if the knowledge she'd just received had reached inside her and torn everything asunder. The noise of the cafe was muted, time moved excruciatingly slowly, and her vision was dimming.

The glowing ember of rage that was being smothered by confusion and denial burst into a furious flame when Jane walked in the cafe doors. The sudden surge of pure rage, unlike anything Darcy had felt before, was so overwhelming she thought she'd burn from the inside due to the sheer intensity. Her temples throbbed from the chaotic mixture of emotions, and her muscles thrummed with the need to commit actual violence.

Darcy wasn't a violent person, she'd never actually hit someone unless it was to protect herself, but she wanted to actually cause irreparable harm to someone at this moment. Jane had _known_. She had known all along and had stolen Darcy's chance. Jane had purposely made Darcy suffer and watched all along while pretending to commiserate and empathize. She had...Darcy suddenly felt so sick she thought her stomach had literally rolled over.

"Hey, why is it always this cafe? There are better places in London," Jane commented, sliding into the chair opposite of Darcy, waving at the waitress to get attention. "Darcy?"

But Darcy couldn't speak, couldn't open her mouth without screaming. She didn't even move, her muscles locking up, afraid she'd physically assault the woman in front of her. The fucking monster in front of her. She'd always thought of Jane as a friend, someone who would help Darcy find her place in the world. She'd always counted on Jane being there when she needed her because Darcy had always been there for Jane whenever she could be. She just assumed that was mutual. Their friendship started off rocky, but it had grown over time. It had been close to three years since they first met now. Three fucking years.

They hadn't become real friends until they were on their way to Tromso, Norway, and Darcy had hacked SHIELD to find out why they were there. Jane had been distraught at seeing the battle of New York and Thor fighting in it. When he didn't show up to see her, she became even more depressed, and Darcy had tried to comfort her. When they came to London and Jane had expressed a desire to move on and date other people, Darcy had been hesitant to encourage that plan. Maybe it was because Darcy had always been envious of Jane having Thor as a soulmate that she didn't want to see Jane give up.

Still, she understood. Soulmates weren't always perfect and sometimes it was better to not be with the person who's words were on your skin. There was abuse, neglect, and cruelty in soulmate bonds and Darcy could see how waiting for her apparently neglectful soulmate would be painful for Jane. So Darcy had tossed aside her soft spot for Thor and cheered Jane on, helping her every step of the way.

When Darcy had fallen into worry and depression over never finding her soulmate, never finding who would match her odd mark, Jane watched "Anastasia" repeatedly with Darcy while reassuring her that Darcy would find him. Jane would buy Darcy's favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream and veg out while Darcy complained. Jane had never once asked what Darcy's mark was and Darcy had always assumed Jane understood she didn't want to share it with anyone.

Now...now things all became twisted and contorted into a hideous picture. The memories of her and Jane bonding darkened into such an ugly, vicious truth that Darcy could hardly face it all. It was like swallowing poison and everything was infected, turning smiles into cruel and manipulative masks. Jane had fed Darcy line after line of bullshit, made Darcy invested in their friendship, made Darcy _care_ , and had done it all while being smug in her duplicity.

"Darcy?" Jane asked, tilting her head and sipping on the coffee the waitress had just set down.

"You knew," Darcy rasped, voice harsh and eyes suddenly probing Jane's with inescapable intensity.

Jane's eyebrows rose at Darcy's expression and then sighed in annoyance. "Darcy, if this is another reference, I don't have time. We have to take a reading on the-"

"You knew. You fucking knew Thor wasn't your soulmate. How did you get him to think you were, Jane? What marking on your body was foreign enough to convince him? Was it the throne you wanted or the access to science that made you do it?" Darcy interrupted Jane, no longer taking Jane's dismissive attitude as exasperated affection like she used to. Her eyes were suddenly open, everything clear, and the reality was one of the most painful things she'd ever experienced.

Jane's entire body stiffened, and her eyes grew wide with each word Darcy spoke. She slowly sat the coffee on the table and if Darcy wasn't so painfully aware of just who Jane was now she would have missed Jane's panicked rallying for a response. Jane adopted a wounded look and demanded, "Why would you say something like that, Darcy? Have you been watching too many movies again? I don't know how many times I've told you that medieval plots to claim the throne aren't real anymore, no matter what 'Game of Thrones' tells you. Even if you're just joking, it's really cruel to say something like that. You know how much I've suffered wait-"

Darcy laughed. She couldn't help it. Her head fell back, eyes closed, and she just _laughed_. It came out a cruel and harsh mockery of real laughter, but she couldn't stop it. She could either laugh, start screaming, or give into the tears raging behind her eyelids. For a split second, just for one, that part of Darcy that still held the hope of Jane being innocent wanted to believe what Jane was saying, wanted to so badly have this all be a joke. But she had seen the lie in Jane's eyes, had seen her go from defensive to the offensive and make this situation Darcy's fault. Make Darcy the cruel one.

"Enough! Just...enough, Jane. I know. I know everything," Darcy informed Jane, her head falling forward before staring at Jane like the stranger she was. "No, that's not true. I don't know why you would go so far, why you would have me stick around when you obviously hated me enough to do this. Why you would hold me when I cried about never finding my soulmate. Why you would expend so much effort into pretending you were missing your other half, to the point of faking tears when watching him fight in New York. _Why_?"

"Darcy...I really don't-"

"Stop it! Stop lying right to my face!" Darcy exploded, gripping the edge of the table to stop herself from striking Jane. She felt something in her shatter when Jane sat back and the disgust she held for Darcy showed through for only a second. That last piece of hope was what shattered, and Darcy swallowed the hysterical laughter that tried to escape again. When had she turned into that naive little girl in stories that got deceived by everyone and still hoped there was some understandable reason the deceiver did what they did? Darcy always got so frustrated at the stupidity of such characters and here she was, being just as stupid.

"Are you sure you don't need to be with Erik, Darcy? You're acting a little insane." Jane looked into Darcy's eyes and something shifted on Jane's face, the mask of concerned friend falling off, and Jane sighed. "Fine. Honestly? The dumb oaf had just assumed I was his soulmate when he saw that tattoo I got and it matched his soulmark. I realized that the mark you said was a tattoo was actually your soulmark and he was your soulmate, but he promised to show me Asgard as soon as he found his way home. A chance to see everything I've been working towards for years, Darcy! I was so close, Darcy, _we_ were so close to proving all _our_ research was correct!"

Darcy had thought she wanted the answers, thought she wanted honesty, but every word condemned herself more than Jane. She actually heaved, her stomach violently protesting, and Darcy took deep breaths to quell the urge. It felt like holding in a violent tornado, like trying to keep a nuclear explosion contained with a thin and cracked glass wall. Jane admitted everything so casually that it made everything that much more disturbing. Darcy felt another piece of her heart break.

She remembered in vicious clarity all the times Jane subtly kept Thor from paying any attention to Darcy, kept him from ever being alone with her, and made damn sure they didn't speak more than three sentences to one another. How Jane had oh so subtly relegated Darcy to a position less than Darcy really was so Thor looked at her as nothing but the help.

Jane must have seen, must have known, that Darcy felt connected to Thor. At first, Darcy thought that maybe, just maybe, Thor was her soulmate or at least would know about her marking. When Jane and Thor had declared they were soulmates, Darcy's hopes were crushed. She knew Jane had a regular soulmark, though she'd never seen it, and assumed Thor must too. She never thought for one second Jane would lie about something as important as that. Never even entertained the idea Jane would steal and claim Darcy's soulmate right in front of her.

People didn't do that.

People weren't _supposed_ to do that.

People were fucking cruel.

"Then what, Jane? What happened?" Darcy asked, weariness soaking into her bones.

Jane sighed as if she had lost something and Darcy hadn't. As if something horrible had been done to her and she had her chances stolen away and Darcy didn't. "He pressed his bare hand on the bare skin of my tattoo and something changed. He called me a rude term and shoved me away right as the Bifrost opened. I assume something was supposed to happen and didn't. All that work, for nothing," Jane bemoaned, slumping in her chair.

Darcy didn't know if she could comprehend any more insane revelations. Jane knew she had lied, she just didn't seem to think it mattered when she was perusing a scientific discovery. Jane didn't put any thought towards what her actions did to Darcy or Thor; the science was more important than anything. Jane viewed the world that way and just assumed everyone else would too. It was clear the way she said 'we' and 'our'. Jane had just thought Darcy would roll with this and move on, that working with Jane and her research would be more important than the lies or losing her soulmate before even having him.

Darcy wished Jane was truly evil and had truly wanted to hurt Darcy because this would be so much easier. Everything would be clean-cut and Darcy could make Jane hurt just as much as she did without any guilt if only Jane was relishing Darcy's pain instead of being oblivious of it. But when was the world ever clean-cut, ever just black and white? Did Jane's obliviousness lessen the crime she committed? People were thrown in jail for stopping two soulmates from meeting and Jane had done much worse than that. Darcy thought Jane completely disregarding her and Thor's emotions made everything more horrendous.

"Were you ever going to tell us?" Darcy whispered, the chaotic emotions making her throat tight.

"Eventually. I mean, you would have found someone else, right? Oh, don't give me that look, Darcy. This was as much your fault as mine. Why you would let someone get a tattoo of your soulmark is beyond me. I didn't know what it was when I got a matching one of what I assumed was your tattoo," Jane said, relaxing back into the chair while giving Darcy an accusing look as if Darcy had created all the problems.

Every emotion being held at bay exploded at once and Darcy's right fist flew out and smashed into Jane's nose, sending Jane flying backward in her chair to topple onto the floor. Panting, Darcy stood and slammed enough money on the table to cover the drinks and disturbance, and tried to resist kicking Jane like she wanted to. She bent down towards a squawking Jane and felt a little vindication at the blood filling the hands Jane held to her nose. Hell yeah, she fucking broke it.

"You're a disgusting excuse for a human being. I really wish I could be just as cruel to you and make you feel even a small portion of what you're making me go through, but I just can't be someone as filthy as you," Darcy hissed, her eyes promising pain and Jane flinched away.

Darcy stood and strode out the door, wrapping her long blue scarf around her neck as she went. She knew she should go right to the small flat she rented and start packing up, get ready to get as far away from Jane as possible. She knew she should be looking for cheap tickets to take her to Washington, D.C. where one of friend's would let her stay for as long as Darcy needed. Instead of doing all those logical things, Darcy started walking while trying to beat back the sudden feeling of being lost.

What was she going to do now? She'd graduated already but then coasted around following Jane on her mission. It had somehow become Darcy's mission too, and that was all gone now. She had a sizable trust fund from her parents' death seven years ago, so she could go back to school. Maybe she'd go to law school like her mom always wanted her to. Darcy sighed and shoved her hands into her coat pockets, hissing when her right hand throbbed.

Her right hand was red around the knuckles and there were speckles of blood smeared on the back of it. Shaking her hand to try and work out the ache, Darcy suddenly came to a stop on the sidewalk with a burst of laughter. She'd actually punched Jane! That thought alone made her giddy with disbelief. She felt a little like a heroine in a melodramatic movie when she remembered what she last said to Jane. Such a dramatic exit.

Snorting, she carefully slid her hand into her coat pocket and started walking again. There were so many thoughts fighting for the forefront of her mind, and all she could really think about was how absurd everything was. It was one of those Truman Show moments where you were sure your life had to be being recorded for T.V. entertainment because things were just that ridiculous. Amusing herself, she looked around and started counting CCTVs that London was littered with. Seeing the abandoned building she and Jane were going to explore for readings later today across the street, Darcy found herself heading towards it without conscious thought. Maybe she'd just finish out the last mission she'd set for herself and this feeling of being lost would fade. Then she could go home without feeling like she'd forgotten something.

"Somebody help me, I'm being spontaneous!" Darcy murmured aloud to herself as she entered the broken doors of the decaying building.

Wandering around, Jane's words started echoing in her head. She'd acted like Darcy was at fault for everything going wrong, for all the lies, for Jane not getting to prove her research. That Darcy was the one that took all of the scientific possibilities of Asgard away from her. Not once in everything Jane said was there even a semblance of an apology. No remorse, no regret, just frustration with Darcy for not understanding. Jane had been so self-absorbed with her own goals that she didn't even realize what she'd done.

Darcy did agree with one thing, though; it had been stupid. She shouldn't have trusted Jane enough to even let her see her soulmark. When Jane and Erik did see it on her front left shoulder the one day Darcy wore a tank top, she didn't want to tell them about the foreign circular symbol with what looked like old ruins being her soulmark. She'd been labeled a freak and avoided for five years in school when someone had seen it and found out what it was. When her parents moved to a different state for their work, Darcy was in high school and played it off as a tattoo. It just became second nature to say that's what it was when anyone asked after that. She didn't think Jane would come back two days later with a matching tattoo.

Still, she had trusted Jane, and as they became closer, she didn't worry about Jane exploiting the mark. Jane just thought they had matching tattoos, and Darcy was cool with that. It had made Darcy feel accepted when Jane got a matching one and she hadn't felt accepted in a long time, so she didn't want that to end. She had been so blind, so damn stupid, and she had trusted the most important thing to someone who only had passion for science and very little for people.

Darcy was not one of those people that thought finding her soulmate would end in a Disney movie like ending, and life would be perfect after that day. Darcy didn't even consider finding her soulmate the most important thing she'd ever do in her life, but she did want to find them. She wanted to understand what the beautiful symbol on her shoulder meant and why no one else had one similar. She wanted to meet the person that left such a unique mark upon her skin at birth. In all honesty, she had just really wanted to know if her soulmate was the reason she always experienced monachopsis, the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place.

Even when she had friends and outgrew the obligatory teenage angst stage, she'd always felt like she didn't quite fit anywhere. Thousands upon thousands said the same thing in angsty Tumblr GIFs and bad poetry posts and Darcy had just convinced herself it was the same as all of theirs. It wasn't. It wasn't that Darcy felt no one understood her - she didn't think she was alone when she was in a crowd, and she didn't feel like an outcast. She had accepted who she was a long time ago, but still the feeling persisted.

There was somewhere else she was meant to be and something else she was supposed to be doing. It was this constant itch that would sometimes swell into a restlessness that she'd have to spend hours walking around just to work out of her system. When she'd found a flyer for an internship with Jane that restlessness had calmed, and she took it as a sign. When she was spending time with Jane looking at the stars and distant planets, that itch only occasionally surfaced.

When Thor had landed, something in Darcy had rejoiced and known immediately he wasn't human and that he was from a different place. That didn't stop her from tasering him when he came towards her aggressively after Jane had steered them seemingly into a fucking tornado. Later on, something in her ached when she looked at him and her entire being felt drawn to the light of the Bifrost when he had disappeared. She had pushed it down and labeled it a result of her inexcusable crush on her best friend's soulmate. Now though, now she knew. Whatever force put soulmarks on the universe's beings was pushing her towards him, trying to make her understand what was before her own eyes, and she'd missed it all.

Climbing the crumbling stairs to the second level, Darcy continued meandering around while absently looking for any anomalies. She couldn't say she loved Thor. Darcy had barely talked to him and didn't know him as a person beyond the Norse mythology books she'd read, some more absurd than others. What she could say is that she wanted to get to know him. She wanted to find out if that monachopsis she always experienced would end when she was beside him. She deserved the chance to _know_.

Suddenly Darcy was stumbling along a hallway as tears obscured her vision. Everything weighed down on her at once and she let out the raw scream that had been building for hours, ever since Erik had told Darcy the truth and disappeared out of the cafe ten minutes before Jane arrived. The scream was ragged and wet with tears, but she kept screaming until her throat couldn't produce anymore sound. What the hell was she supposed to do now? Jane would move on and continue her mission, Thor was in Asgard, and Darcy...Darcy was just the fucking _intern_. Jane had been her rock and the one thing Darcy thought to be true. Her soulmark had been the one mystery that made that feeling of not belonging seem hopeful. Now, what was there to hold onto?

Closing her eyes, it took a minute to separate the swirling in her head from the swirling in reality. Snapping her eyes open, she saw her feet suspended above the ground and even as she opened her mouth to say something, she didn't know what, she was being yanked backward. The sudden jolt was so intense that the breath was knocked out of her and she didn't have time to react before she was suddenly in a barren place, teetering over the edge of an abyss.

Flapping her arms, she toppled backward and landed on the black rock beneath her. Realizing she was starting to hyperventilate, Darcy started taking deep even breaths and tried to calm her galloping heart. What the fuck? Seriously, what the fuck!? Of course, she followed a gut feeling and look where it got her. Transported to some kind of hell realm. Holy Greyskull, what if this really was Hell? Was she so stupid that she just waltzed right into a space anomaly that led to Hell?

Scrambling up, Darcy frantically looked around and everything stilled when she saw a huge boulder emitting a red glow behind her. Turning, she stumbled towards it before her logic kicked back in and her muscles locked up. Unfortunately, the sudden stop made her trip forward and her hand flew out to catch herself, touching the boulder. Snatching her hand back, she berated herself for being one of those girls in the movies that trips into something that will probably kill her or unleash Armageddon. Christ on a pogo stick, she really was one of those stupid, naive, and hopelessly clueless characters.

It actually looked like one of those stones in "The Fifth Element". Darcy wasn't sure whether it was bad or good, but she sure as hell wasn't going to stick around and find out. Every time someone stumbled across something like this it either led to ruin or an epic adventure to save the world. Darcy wanted no part of that nonsense. Her life was already like a movie, thank you very much, universe. Besides, she didn't have any matches if this was supposed to be the fire element anyway.

Just when she turned back around to figure out if she could find the portal she'd come through something cold and burning hot at the same time touched her fingertips. Darcy yelped and tried to move away, but the feeling started encasing her arms. Darcy started screaming when the black and red liquid surged up her arms towards her head. The scream abruptly cut off as it flowed into her mouth and eyes, leeching onto her body and filling her veins.

As her eyes went blind and millions of images accosted her mind, Darcy stopped fighting the feeling. Her life had gotten so crazy in just the last day alone and the feeling of this being right was no different. Her logic told her that this couldn't possibly be alright but the rest of Darcy's being welcomed whatever the hell this red and black stuff was. It felt like it _belonged_. A fleeting knowledge filled her before her conscious thoughts went dark and everything disappeared.

_"Aether."_


	2. Soul Forges and Heimdall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Aether had chosen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Bows down to her beta*  
> My beta, [jdho2](http://archiveofourown.org/users/jdho2/pseuds/jdho2), is amazing and wonderful. I was so nervous about making this plot bunny real when I would have to write a lot about Asgardian people. The language is hard, the customs are a little vague in the movies, and a lot of people are very defensive of Jane. J loved it and has been encouraging me along the way, keeping me inspired to write. Never enough thanks for that. So, in honor of that, here's a chapter almost twice as long as the last one. :D
> 
> Any existing mistakes are the result of my own negligence.

Staring out into space, Thor attempted to see the nine realms beginning to converge but found he could not. "I see nothing," he admitted to Heimdall.

"Very few do," Heimdall replied before suddenly stepping closer to the opening, confusion clouding his eyes. 

"Is there something amiss?" Thor asked, alarmed by Heimdall's worried look. If the guardian was worried, all should be so. 

Heimdall hesitated, knowing that speaking of the events he had witnessed would not be welcomed. Heimdall was also still confused as to what the entire conversation meant. "I have continued keeping watch over the Midgardians you encountered in order to track how close the treacherous mortal came to creating a viable portal," Heimdall spoke slowly, still searching the realms for the other missing mortal. 

Thor stiffened at the mention of Jane Foster and couldn't contain his scowl. "The Lady Foster is an example of the worst of humanity," Thor growled out, his honor still impugned from believing her deceit. 

"The mortal who accompanied her discovered Lady Foster's trickery and became distraught. I kept vigil over Lady Lewis after the altercation hoping some of their words would become clear. I only looked away for a moment to see the Convergence and she has disappeared," Heimdall confessed in confusion. 

"You can not see her in the nine realms?" Thor demanded, Lady Darcy's face appearing in his mind far clearer than he'd thought it would. He'd assumed Lady Darcy had aided Jane in the trickery and to now hear of her defending his honor curiously made his heart swell. 

"She has disappeared from my sight," Heimdall whispered, searching the wide expanses of space before him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Groaning, Darcy blearily blinked her eyes open and slowly took in her surroundings. Something was hinky. She didn't know exactly what yet, but something was definitely wrong. Reaching up to rub her eyes, she cursed when she didn't feel her glasses. She pushed herself upwards and found she had, of course, ended up lying in a puddle of stale water. Growling, she stood and shook off her jacket and scarf and tossed them on a dry part of the floor. 

She squinted her eyes like she always had to do before when she didn't have her glasses but found she didn't need to. Darcy gasped when she realized she could see better than she ever had even with her glasses on. Lifting a hand to her face, she noticed her right hand was completely healed of the bruising punching Jane had caused. 

Darcy shook her head in denial, but the evidence was all there. Something extremely hinky had happened to her. The kind of hinky that SHIELD locks people away for being. Was she a vampire? Did she stumble upon some kind of gamma ray? It's always the freakin' gamma rays these days. Darcy was a movie addict and read tons of supernatural novels; she knew when something messed up was happening. 

Snatching up her coat and scarf, Darcy hunted for the phone in the pocket of the coat as she headed for the doors. When she finally found the phone it hung from her limp hand once she got outside and saw the sun was high in the sky. She'd decided to explore the building around eight in the morning, nowhere near the afternoon. Was that today or did she lose more than just a few hours?

Her hand shook as she tried to power on her cell phone but once it was on the screen was scrambled and it turned right back off. Was she attacked by some kind of electrical frying villain? Did she end up in Narnia or something and just forget about it? It felt like swimming against a tidal wave when she tried to remember what happened. She could have sworn she was on the second floor just wandering around and then...

Suddenly the tidal wave broke and she remembered Erik sadly telling her the truth about Jane, his eyes full of regret and sorrow. He'd always been on Jane's side before, but being mind whammied by Loki had made him see the world differently. He couldn't keep that big of a secret to himself. She remembered every word Jane said and every word she didn't, like 'I'm sorry'. Then finishing the last mission, crying, and screaming. 

_"Aether,"_ her mind whispered. 

Knowledge savagely tore into her brain, forcing itself to find a position, and the overwhelming flow of memories burned themselves into her flesh. Darcy shrieked in agony and collapsed on the cement, her hands clawing at her head. Too much, too much! She was going to be shredded apart, burnt to ash, and a keening cry lodged in her throat as her fingernails ripped into her scalp. 

In a distant part of her mind, she heard a car door slam, but that was even behind the distant feeling of the skin on her scalp she'd clawed into healing under her fingertips. The pain was so unbearable Darcy was sure she'd stop breathing because there wasn't enough focus to keep her lungs functioning. 

Everything was burning. 

Everything was freezing. 

Everything was _dying._

Just as quickly as it began, it stopped. Everything seemed to stop. There was no noise, no movement, no heartbeat, just nothingness. The calm in her mind and the sudden lack of pain made the experience all the more terrifying. She lied there, curled into the fetal position, her hands still clutching her head, and sobs wracked her body. 

"Aether. Dark Elves. Convergence," Darcy whispered, the words falling from her mouth without her permission. 

She couldn't comprehend every image and piece of knowledge that had flooded her mind, but there were flashes and abrupt fractured pieces of knowledge that jutted into her consciousness. Rolling over onto her knees, Darcy dry heaved through her sobs. She struggled to gain some control over her body, but the shaking in her arms wouldn't stop and the terror wouldn't end. What the hell was the Aether, and why the hell did she end up with it? 

Her mind started to form the answers just as a hand grasped her shoulder. "Are you alr-"

A sudden force exploded outwards from inside her causing the police officer to be sent flying and all the windows on the building to shatter. The force of it leaving her body made her arch back, her arms spread out wide, and her eyes went blind as the power of it ate her from the inside out. Slumping backward, she hit the ground with a hollow thud, the world coming into view again slowly. 

The police officers started screaming commands she couldn't hope to follow, there was a bright light obscuring her vision, and nothing seemed real anymore. She closed her eyes to block out the light, and once again felt like she was in a tornado. She really didn't want to see anymore, didn't want to experience anything else today. She'd been forced to face the harsh reality once today, and now everything was fake and intangible again. She never should have followed that gut feeling and been stupid enough to walk right into a portal that led to Hell and ended up being infected by what she was pretty sure was Armageddon in liquid form. 

When the stomach dropping feeling stopped, Darcy opened her eyes and her eyebrows furrowed when a golden ceiling with a large circular hole showing thousands of stars in a bright sky greeted her. Well, this was certainly better than Hell. If she was just going to randomly end up in different places, it could be worse. Maybe she'd just lay here for a while and enjoy the view. 

"Lady Darcy!" A voice she'd recognize anywhere called and was followed by Thor's face leaning into her view.

He was kneeling next to her with his face twisted in concern and his hands reaching for her. Darcy tried to warn him, tried to scramble away, but his hand landed on her arm without any repercussions. Slumping in relief, Darcy blinked up at him. "Thor?"

"It is I, Lady Darcy. What ails you?" Thor asked, his hands following the line of her veins that seemed to glow red in welcome of his touch. 

"Aether. Dark Elves. The Convergence. They must be stopped," Darcy said almost desperately, the images of everything dying flashing before her eyes and bringing panic. They weren't full pictures, though, just small snapshots and random knowledge of knowing it had to be stopped. Sometimes the Aether whispered the answers and sometimes she just _knew_ them.

Thor's head snapped to Heimdall when he sucked in a breath and immediately moved towards Darcy. Heimdall kneeled on her other side and stared in horror at the red in her veins before searching Darcy's eyes with an uncomfortably knowing gaze. He did have the most kickass gold eyes, though, so it was okay. When he reached a hand out to set it against her forehead Darcy felt the power from before begin to build up in anticipation. Shaking her head frantically, she jolted away from his touch and ended up in Thor's lap. Not a bad place to be, all things considered, and she wished she had more time to relish it. 

"No. Don't touch me. Did you see the blast?" Darcy whispered, sinking into the warmth of Thor as he put his arms around her and held her tighter at her words. 

"I did, little one. You must bring her to Eir," Heimdall said urgently, moving back to his sword. 

_"Hofund,"_ her mind whispered. His sword was named Hofund. 

"Surly it's not the same Aether from the tales of past battles? The dark elves were said to be-"

"Am I supposed to suddenly know your badass sword is named Hofund? Because I totally do. Man, I never even wanted to be the Oracle. I can't even bake cookies," Darcy interrupted Thor, figuring she should share the crazy. 

Both men became still and silent for a moment before Thor started spinning Mjolnir, which she now knew how to pronounce correctly, and they flew off at a startling speed. Only Thor's left arm gripping her against his chest kept her from dropping into the water below them, but she felt safe and secure. She supposed that's what you're supposed to feel when you're in the arms of your soulmate, and they happened to be a good person. Or, you know, a god. 

The wind made her eyes sting, but she refused to close them. Asgard was utterly breathtaking. The sun made the buildings glint and shine, the water glisten, and she was awed at how large everything was. Darcy heard fleeting boisterous laughs from below them, and music came and went as she and Thor rocketed past. Reds, greens, purples, blues, and even colors she couldn't name, made up the stars she could still see through the clouds, even though it was daytime. The stars were ones she'd never seen before and appeared to be close enough to touch. They were never that close when she was on Earth. 

There was so much beauty to see that Darcy almost wanted to ignore everything but that beauty. The problems just kept adding up. She was infected with something that made even the legendary all-seeing and hearing Asgard guardian worry, the Aether kept feeding her terrifying bits of information and visions, and she kept attacking anyone that touched her that wasn't Thor. Oh, and apparently everything that was wrong with her body had healed thanks to the Aether. Except, you know, the Aether induced illness that she was pretty sure was going to kill her before she could even kiss Thor without him freaking out. 

Thor...that was a whole other problem. Darcy knew he was her soulmate and that she should be happy he'd thought enough of her to bring her to Asgard to help. However, there was so much unknown right now. How did he even know she was in danger? Heimdall had to have told him and if he did, did Thor know about her throw down with Jane? Did he know she was his soulmate? If he did, why didn't he say anything? If he didn't, how does she say anything? Would he even believe her? Gah, she hated being this confused! 

Most thought Darcy was just blunt and said whatever was on her mind without a filter because she didn't care about others, but that wasn't true. Darcy just got so confused as to how she should ask certain questions or what response was appropriate, that she often got frustrated with all the questions in her mind and just went with complete bluntness. Darcy worried about offending someone so much that she ended up offending them. If that isn't irony, she didn't know what was. She'd accepted that about herself, but it was still a work in progress.

Darcy gripped tighter onto Thor's chest plate as they swooped down and zipped through an archway into what she assumed was the main castle. Huge columns lined a wide marble hallway, torches blazed in ornate sconces on the walls, and armored guards were stationed at every other column. Darcy immediately felt underdressed in her black leggings, fuzzy boots, and long, loose shirt. Chastising herself for worrying about something so stupid, she grunted when Thor landed, swept her up in a bridal carry, and strode forward without breaking stride.

Her mind went directly in a salacious direction when she thought about how much strength such a move would require. Mentally fanning herself, she stared up at Thor's serious face. His lips were compressed and tilted downwards, his beautiful blue eyes hard and focused, and a muscle in his jaw kept jumping. She wanted to smooth the furrow between his brows and feel the roughness of his beard on her skin. Most of all, she wanted him to touch her soulmark so they would both know the truth. 

Thor kicked open a large ornate door and they entered a room lit by more flickering torches and lanterns. Thor laid her down gently on a high stone slab and signaled to one of the women headed towards them. The women were all dressed in long sleeved blue dresses with their hair done up in a tight curly fashion. It was an odd look, but Darcy didn't judge. She assumed this room was the equivalent of Earth's emergency room and the blue-clad women were the nurses and doctors. 

"Eir. Please see to Lady Darcy," Thor asked, even if it sounded more like a demand. 

Eir, a middle-aged woman, pushed Darcy so that she laid flat on her back and her arms hovered above Darcy. What looked like gold dust took the shape of Darcy's body above her and Eir began twisting and fiddling with markings in the dust. Her life had officially gotten weirder, but exponentially more awesome. 

The Aether once again whispered the answer and Darcy couldn't stop herself from whispering it aloud. "Soul Forge."

Eir and Thor both looked at her, startled. Darcy looked up at Thor in mild panic because as cool as knowing things she shouldn't know was, it was also a side effect of something being wrong with her. Thor's face softened slightly and he clapped his hand on hers for second before Eir shooed his touch away. Darcy hated Eir a little bit in that moment.

Childishly, she started moving slightly just to see the gold dust version of her move in tandem. Making shapes with her fingers, she giggled as the dust copied her to make a bunny rabbit. Eir sighed and pushed her hands back down, but Darcy totally saw Thor crack a smile and that made it worth the disapproval wafting off Eir.

"Be still, mortal," Eir chastised, looking intently at some runes. Darcy couldn't help but resent the subtle condescension in how she said 'mortal' and had to bite her tongue to keep a snarky retort in. No one with that hair should ever act that superior. Hey, if she was going to be judged, she'd judge right back. 

"What is it?" Thor asked a healer that stopped next to him.

"We do not know, my prince, but she may not survive the amount of energy surging within her," the younger healer answered, moving around the table to assist Eir. 

Darcy was confused as to why everyone didn't understand that what was in her was the Aether. It was like they refused to take a human's word for it. She _knew_ the name of it. What she _didn't_ know was what it's purpose was. Why her? Why was it giving her knowledge and visions if it was only going to kill her in the end? What did it have to do with the Dark Elves and The Convergence? Why did she see everything in the universe ending? What was the Aether's goal?

The more questions that came the more panicked Darcy became. She was awesome a deducing things and had learned a lot from watching Sherlock, but there were so many tiny fragments and she didn't have enough context to put them together. The answers were prodding the back of her mind, so close, but she couldn't seem to unlock them. She felt like she had amnesia about events she'd never actually lived. 

"Did you not learn anything from your last encounter with these mortals? You would ignore my words to allow such a treacherous mortal into Asgard?" A commanding voice boomed into the room causing the healers to bow their heads and back away from the stone slab. Thor stiffened and turned to face the speaker, his hands clenching into fists. 

"The Lady Darcy is ill. She knew nothing of Lady Foster's trickery, Father," Thor replied, his tone serious and respectful. 

Darcy stiffened right along with Thor, her breathing stalling when Thor said 'father'. Odin, The Allfather, King of Asgard. Darcy had read many varying accounts of him in her Norse mythology books and knew he was supposed to be wise but also fearsome. Odin was said to be the most powerful god in existence. Also, he happened to be her soulmate's dad and said "mortal" in the same condescending tone as Eir. No pressure or anything. 

"She is mortal; illness is their defining trait. Are you so foolish that you'd believe a mere human's words and allow yourself to be deceived again?" Odin demanded, sending a judging look towards Darcy. She felt him measuring her worth and dismissing her as beneath his very notice. The indignation was hard to keep from her face and she imagined bitch slapping that ridiculously ornate gold eyepatch off his face. Wise, her pasty white ass. 

Regardless of her wounded pride, there was a war in her mind over how to address Odin. Allfather? King Odin? Milord? Your Majesty? Your Kingship? Yo, you cantankerous one-eyed bastard? Dread Pirate Roberts? No, no, she would end up dead in some horrific way. Sighing, Darcy pushed herself up into a sitting position and bowed her head slightly, saying, "Allfather, it is an honor to meet you. However, I didn't know anything about Jane's lies until just earlier today."

"I, Odin, am not so easily swayed by pleasantry, human. You will leave at once. Guards, remove her," Odin said dismissively, turning and walking away.

Two fully armored guards surrounded her and Darcy felt the pressure of the power inside her build up, burning and freezing her veins at the same time. Fear grasped her so strongly that she could barely make out Thor trying to warn them as their hands gripped her arms. Arching off the stone slab, a concussive force radiated from Darcy and slammed the guards into the walls away from her. It felt just as horrible as the first time, like something was tearing out of her skin with a force that would liquefy her organs. 

She collapsed back onto the stone and tried to slow her rapid breathing and calm her racing heart. Her mouth was bone dry and she felt her body tremble as the power once again subsided into her. Thor rushed towards her, freezing a foot away from the table with a confused expression that held a hint of hurt. 

Confused, Darcy furrowed her eyebrows and followed his line of sight and saw the left side of her shirt had fallen off her shoulder. Her soulmark. Snapping her eyes back to his, her heart clenched at the angry betrayal filling his eyes. She shook her head and tried to summon the energy to move, to stop him from thinking what he must be thinking. She would never do what Jane did. Never. Odin moved towards her, having come back into the room at the show of power, and stopped beside Thor. A glower started covering his face when he saw the same thing as Thor. 

"I did not know what Jane did because if I had known, I would have known just what she was stealing from me," Darcy rasped out. Her energy was slowly building back up and the dizziness faded. As her system balanced out, she was filled with rage towards Jane, towards Thor for thinking she would try to lie to him, and at the entire universe for not giving her time to think of a better way to tell him. 

Thor looked so uncertain that it made the anger towards him die away and her entire being mourn. Odin looked furious but also concerned as he took in the red glowing in her veins. He must know what the Aether was then. He held out a hand and his golden staff appeared in it, thumping against the ground menacingly. "Your lies will find no victim here, mortal. You will not ensnare Thor in your trap, you vile creature. The sentence for forging a soulpiece is death in Asgard," Odin decreed.

Darcy shoved herself up so she sat on the edge of the table, her legs hanging off the side. Her face contorted in anger and desperation and all semblance of common sense evaporated. "What would be the point of lying? I didn't ever expect to see Thor again, there was no reason to lay any kind of trap if I even were the kind of person that would. Christ, this is rich. Jane lies to us all, steals and claims my soulmate right in front of me without me even knowing, and no one even thinks to question it. I didn't even know it was a lie until today!"

"Bond Mates recognize one another, mortal. You can not be who you claim," Thor said, his tone cold.

Darcy tried really hard not to let that hurt her and failed. Hopping off the table, she sent Thor a scathing glare before starting to pace, her muscles still stiff from the Aether. "Like you recognized Jane? For me, even though we barely talked, I could picture you perfectly in my mind without trying. I imagine it to be the same with you. If someone already decides they know the truth, they very rarely are open to the actual truth even when it slaps them in the face. You had already decided Jane was your soulmate or Bond Mate, whatever. Why would you look towards me? But you did. You just convinced yourself you shouldn't," Darcy ranted, hoping he suffered the same things she did in New Mexico. If he didn't, she was shit out of luck. 

"Enough! You are sentenced to live out your limited life in the dungeons until we find a way to kill you," Odin bellowed, clanking his staff on the floor. 

"I'd like to see you make me," Darcy snapped at Odin, baring her teeth before realizing what she was doing. Taking a deep breath, she raised her palms in front of herself and shook her head. 

Thor looked at her in wary contemplation, and Darcy didn't know if she was projecting or not, but she swore she saw a small glimmer of hope in his eyes. "If what you say is true, why did Jane Foster carry the same mark? It is difficult to believe you when they matched."

"I will hear no more of these lies," Odin said, taking a step forward.

The anger drained out of her and she was overcome with sadness. Why couldn't anything be easy? "Just...please, listen. I am not Jane. I...I don't deserve to be judged and tried based on her actions. If you can't believe me when I'm done, I will willingly go to the dungeons. Please," Darcy pleaded, desperation for her to just be able to tell the truth filling her. Odin's eye narrowed, but he showed the wisdom he was known for and nodded once. Thor didn't respond either way, but that wasn't a no, so Darcy would take it. 

Darcy took a deep breath and braced herself before speaking. "On Earth, Midgard, our soulmarks are all just the writing of our soulmate. They all spell out the very first words that were spoken to them by their soulmate. When I was born I had this mark and no one could tell me what it meant. No one had ever seen a soulmark like it before. I was...it was not accepted as a normal soulmark. When a classmate saw it and asked what it was, I proudly said it was my soulmark. I was labeled a freak and became an outcast because people were afraid of it. They didn't know what such a different mark meant. After five years of that, my family moved to a different city and I never showed anyone again. If anyone saw it, I told them it was a tattoo.

"It wasn't that I was ashamed of my soulmark, it's awesome. I just didn't want to listen to one more person tell me my soulmate was evil or it was a symbol for the devil. Most humans really are closed minded. When Jane saw it, I told her it was a tattoo just like I always did. Suddenly, she shows up with an exact copy as an actual tattoo because they reminded her of symbols she'd seen in a mythology book. I was worried, but she was a friend, I didn't think it was something that dangerous. I...I didn't know. Then we're driving into a freaking tornado, aliens are real, and so apparently are deathbots that shoot fire."

Darcy paused, taking even breaths because she had said all of that in what felt like two breaths and she wasn't done. She held up a hand and closed her eyes tightly, still so angry at Jane and her own stupidity. "When Thor landed, I felt drawn, but I didn't know why," Darcy said, her eyes connecting with Thor's. "I thought that maybe you would know what my soulmark said or would know someone that did. I mean, if someone from another planet didn't even know what the hell it meant, I was never going to find my soulmate. Then you and Jane declared you were soulmates and I...I was crushed. Jane had a normal soulmark and if you two were soulmates, you must too. That's...that's what I thought. I didn't...she was my friend. Even if she wasn't my friend, people don't lie about something like that."

There was silence for a few moments before Odin said, " A touching story, to be sure, but-"

"It's the truth!" Darcy interrupted, tears stinging her eyes at the helplessness she felt. "I spent three years with that lying piece of crap while she pretended to care about me! I held her when she cried about missing Thor! That devil spawn kept up the act for all of those years, and the whole time she knew what she had done!" Darcy's eyes snapped back to Thor and she pierced him with a furious gaze. "You think _you_ were _betrayed? Deceived? Made a fool?_ I _loved_ her like a _sister_ , and she took the most important thing from me, _destroyed_ it, and then smiled and comforted me like it never happened!"

Thor looked lost, but that hope was growing and Darcy just wanted this to be over. She just wanted to know him, but part of her was wondering if this was worth the pain. Soulmates weren't everything. Then she realized she couldn't even leave because of the Aether and that hysterical laughter was back. Why was everything so fucked up? She didn't realize how much she hoped Thor would just know it was her until now. If he didn't end up believing her, she'd just let the Aether consume her because this plot twist was just a little too much. 

The deafening silence was broken by Heimdall's low bass voice filling the room. "The Lady Lewis speaks the truth, my king," He informed, bowing his head towards Odin as he entered the room. Heimdall continued to describe the fight between Jane and Darcy and how he noticed her missing from his view, which was scary as hell to Darcy. Exactly where was that Hell like place and why was it outside his view? With each new word, Odin seemed to relax his aggressive stance, and his gaze became more speculative. 

Thor's hand twitched upwards towards Darcy and he seemed to lurch forward. Shaking his head, Thor took three large steps and stopped right in front of her, staring down at her with heartbreaking hope. Darcy tilted her head up because dude was tall and felt a tear escape her eye. She didn't want to cry, didn't want to be as desperate as she was, but pride no longer had a place here right now. She'd kick herself for being weak later. 

He cupped her face with his warm callused hand and brushed the tear away with his thumb in a cliche romantic move. It was a cliche for a reason because her heart melted at the action and she tilted her head into his hand. Thor closed his eyes and leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. Her eyes closed too and she gasped softly at the thrumming she felt in her heart. It wasn't like anything she'd felt before, but it wasn't bad. It was warm, calming, and _beautiful_. Her hands came up to clutch at his armor and she leaned into him, feeling almost boneless as the sensation of rightness settled in her. 

Thor must have felt the same thing because his hands twitched on her shoulders as he let out a heavy breath, his form slumping slightly. They opened their eyes at the same time and just stared at one another, a knowing light in each of their eyes. Thor dropped Mjolnir with a clang and his armor seemingly dissolved off of him, leaving him in his pants and long sleeved blue tunic. Yanking the cloth to the side of his chest, he showed her a matching soulmark on his left shoulder, his eyes burning in their intensity. 

Darcy's breath caught and she couldn't stop the tears from falling for the life of her. Reaching a shaking hand out, her fingertips hovered over the mark as she made a sound between a laugh and a sob. A brilliant smile lit up her face even as the tears continued to fall and she gripped his arms to make sure he was real. His finger traced the skin just outside of her mark and the warmth from his touch grounded her. Today, she had felt so untethered from reality that it was almost a jolt to feel like this was real, that she was really here with him. 

"My lady," Thor whispered, his tone reverent and eyes bright. His hands cupped her face and wiped away all traces of her tears once again, a gentle smile curling his lips before falling into a remorseful twist. "Forgive me, I was foolish not to recognize you immediately, to doubt you."

Shaking her head, another sob escaped her, and Darcy whispered back, "We're both fools then. I...I'm just glad you're here now. I've been looking for you my whole life."

"And I, you," Thor replied. He gently grasped her right hand and lifted it to hover over his soulmark and held his right hand over her mark. Seeing the confusion in her eyes, his lips quirked. "We must touch one another's soulpieces together."

She vaguely heard Odin call Thor's name, but she didn't pay it any mind. She nodded her head and took a deep breath. She didn't know what would happen, but she knew without a doubt that they were soulmates and was excited to find out. They moved as one and their palms touched each other's marks. Her eyes widened and she gasped when Thor's mark glowed under her palm and seemed to warm up at her touch. A feeling of utter connection to Thor ran through her veins and her entire being seemed to rejoice in it. 

Just as she was thinking that she finally felt like she belonged, the glow intensified to a blinding light and dread filled her. She wanted to yank away, make the light stop, but something stopped her from moving even an inch. Clenching her eyes closed to block out the light, she felt the power of the Aether riot inside her. How had she forgotten about the Aether?! She'd completely forgotten all about the main reason she even ended up in Asgard in the euphoria of finally connecting with her soulmate.

It felt like the soul bond was at war with the Aether and she was sure her skin would splinter apart; it couldn't possibly contain the amount power vying for control inside her. A scream tore from her throat as she flew back from Thor and hit a wall, crumpling onto the floor. She could hear Thor yelling her name, hear the fear in his voice, but she couldn't stop screaming to answer him. 

Her blood was boiling, her heart bursting, and she couldn't get enough breath for the next scream. Ice cold liquid quickly coated the burning and froze everything in its path and her very soul seemed to be writhing in agony. The pain was so intense she lost all thought; all she knew was the torment of it all. Even with her eyes closed, she could see the Aether's red and black liquid twisting violently with a blue and silver light. Darcy and Thor's soul bond. 

Darcy didn't know how long she suffered the torture of this battle being waged inside her, but abruptly the light and liquid stilled. Higher thoughts returned just in time for her to wonder what the hell was happening as the two opposing forces seemed to start melding together. The red mixed with the navy blue, turning a dark purple, and the black mixed with the silver, turning a dark silver color. 

The power rose and expanded inside her, but there was no burning or freezing this time. It felt _right_. This was supposed to happen, these two forces needed each other to become something new and good. Of course, right when she thought that the same rapid flashes of images and knowledge she felt outside that building on Earth assaulted her mind. She braced for yet more torture, but none came. The knowledge slid right into place without a struggle or any pain and she found she had access to a lot more of it at once than before. 

Darcy was sorting through the new images when she heard Eir gasp from above her. She tried to open her eyes, but there was just too much information to get acclimated to. "My king, I...I've never seen anything like this in all my years."

"What is it?" Thor demanded worriedly, and Darcy yearned to erase that tone from his voice, but she still didn't have control over her own body.

"The Aether has combined with her soul and your Soul Bond, Prince Thor. It...merged with the energy you transferred to her through the bond and melded into her very soul. Allfather, the Aether is...it's stable. It has _transformed_ ," Eir spoke with awe and excitement at discovering something new and fascinating. Darcy was a little sick of people getting hard-ons over science at her expense. 

"Impossible," Odin said, but Eir must have shown him proof because she heard both him and Thor make sounds of surprise. "It evolved. It truly is a part of her soul now. That's the reason she sought out the Aether and Thor; power."

Darcy really wished she could snort. What an asshole. She didn't search out anything, thank you very much! If she could give it back she would. She'd never felt anything as horrendous as this experience had been and she sure as hell wouldn't willingly endure it. At least Eir seemed to agree. 

"I do not believe she did so, Allfather. The Aether was eager to merge with her soul. It recognized Prince Thor and only he was spared from its' attacks. I believe the Aether sought out _her_ ," Eir said in an appropriately grave and spooky tone. 

"My Lady could not have known I would bring her to Asgard, Father. Why do you insist on disparaging the honor of Lady Darcy?" Thor demanded, clearly becoming frustrated at his father's douchebaggery. Okay, so Darcy may have projected that last bit, but whatever. 

As her mind started processing the last bit of information that slotted into her mind, Darcy gasped and heard it echo aloud. Everyone stopped talking, but Darcy was too busy panicking and racing to fill in all the pieces to appreciate the quiet. Dark Elves. Dark Elf Harrows. Invisibility. Malekith The Accursed. Aether. The Convergence. Algrim. The Kursed Stone. Asgard burning. Frigga dying. Loki's next betrayal. Death.

Darcy's eyes shot open as she shot up into a sitting position with a horrified gasp. Frantically looking around, her hand latched onto Thor's forearm that had been reaching towards her, and she looked at him with desperation. "You have to stop them!" Darcy said almost hysterically. 

Thor's face twisted in confusion and he stepped forward to wrap his arms around her. "Lady Darcy, you must be calm. You're not healed quite yet," Thor said in concern, his hands clenching in the fabric of the back of her shirt. 

Darcy shook her head and struggled out of his hold, hopped off the stone slab with only a slight stumble, and turned to face Odin and Thor. "There's no time. Whatever this is, whatever it's become, has shown me...visions? Knowledge? It's a weird mix of the two. The Convergence is almost in full effect, right?" Darcy asked, looking at Odin this time. 

"Yes, it is upon us," Odin answered in a surprisingly non-aggressive tone. He seemed more intrigued than anything and for a second Darcy allowed herself to ponder if he had accused of her purposely seeking out the Aether because he knew she was awake and wanted a reaction. Probably. Kings were always crafty bastards. 

Darcy opened her mouth to respond and was hit with a sudden dizzy spell. Thor's hand clamped on her arm gently and he let her lean against him, the back of his hand brushing across her cheek. "Please rest, my lady. I do not like seeing you in such distress," Thor said, his voice soft with worry and a hint of pain. She couldn't imagine what he must have been thinking seeing her scream and writhe in pain and not be able to help. Still, there wasn't _time_.

"I'm sorry, Thor. There just isn't time. I will rest when I can, please just listen," Darcy pleaded, squeezing his arm gently in reassurance before looking back at Odin. "The Dark Elves are still alive. A portion survived the war a millennia ago by sacrificing most of their people, and the survivors have been hibernating until the next convergence. _This_ convergence. Malekith woke up as soon as it started, and they could sense the Aether. I don't think they can sense it anymore...not since it did whatever it did to me, but the last place they sensed it was here!" Darcy paused to suck in a breath and felt the urge to start pacing as frantic energy made her restless. 

"That is not possible. My father, Borr, killed them all," Odin denied stubbornly, but Darcy saw the doubt in his eyes. 

"I don't care if you have to accept that a battle story was passed down incorrectly, I'm not wrong. I saw Asgard burning and..." Darcy's throat closed up because she didn't even want to say the next part out loud. Tears pricked her eyes and she gripped Thor tighter, the image of Frigga on the ground in a pool of her own blood flashing in her mind. Thor rubbed a hand down her arm even as he stiffened at her words, trying to soothe her even as he prepared for battle. She kind of loved him a tiny bit for it. 

"Continue," Odin said, and Darcy saw him bracing for the next revelation. He really was a wise king. He could tell it was something horrible if it was harder than saying she saw Asgard burning.

Darcy looked right into Odin's eye and softly said, "The Queen. I saw Queen Frigga die, Allfather." She saw his breath hitch and Thor's hold tightened almost painfully around her, making her wince. "Please, believe me, even if you only treat this like a drill, please help me make what I saw not happen."

Odin searched her face for a long moment before abruptly turning around and marching from the room. "Come."

Thor moved back from her, his hand lifting to smooth her hair back from her face as he leaned down to place a soft and warm kiss to her forehead, the whiskers of his beard tickling her skin. Darcy let herself embrace the feeling for a moment before stepping back and nodding towards the door. He trailed his fingers once more through her hair and took a deep fortifying breath. Shifting away from her, he held out his hand and Mjolnir landed in it almost instantly. Once his hand gripped the handle of the hammer his armor once more appeared and started forming around his body. It was an impressive sight. 

He held out his free hand towards her and once she was next to him, he curled his arm around her back to lend any extra support she would need. They followed after Odin quietly, ignoring the guards who were sending Darcy wary looks. They took so many odd turns that Darcy was wondering if they had 'You are here' maps for the tourists because it was ridiculous how convoluted the layout was. Some sections were _huge_ and wide open while others were narrow and as close to secret passageways you can get without a lever activated bookshelf. 

Thor's hand squeezed her arm gently before letting go and motioning her to proceed him into the room that looked like a large school library. Entering, she noticed a huge ornate desk next to the large windows that lined the walls. Odin was standing behind it and flipping through a book that had... _moving_ pictures? Her love for all things Harry Potter surfaced and she had to bite her tongue to keep the excited questions at bay. She did, however, surreptitiously look around for any moving and talking portraits.

Feeling Thor brush against her side as he stopped next to her in front of the desk, she snapped back into reality. Really, her mind's tendency to think about the most inane things when she was in a perilous situation needed to be fixed. She leaned over the desk to see what Odin was reading so intently and saw it was the story of the war with the Dark Elves a millennium ago. Would no one just take her fucking word for anything? She'd been right about the Aether, she'd been telling the truth about the soulmate business, and _still_ it was like she was speaking gibberish for all the attention they paid her. 

Slapping her hand down on the desk, she was disappointed it didn't make a loud noise besides a smacking sound, but it still made Odin and Thor look at her. "Look, I really don't want to be rude and offend the crown or whatever you want to call it, but we really only have about forty minutes before everything goes to hell in a hand basket. Not even a pretty hand basket," Darcy said, making wide gestures with her hands.

Odin and Thor both looked confused at her wording but they both straightened, so the overall meaning must have gotten through. Odin still looked hesitant to believe her, but he nodded gravely and gestured for her to talk. 

"Some Dark Elf is going to masquerade as one of the marauder prisoners to infiltrate Asgard. He's black and has some really creepy blue/white eyes and will be wearing dark red armor with a lot of horns. Like, a lot. More than should ever be necessary," Darcy started rambling a little but quickly got on track at Odin's unimpressed stare and Thor's soppy indulgent look. "Anyway, he just walks right in with...Fandral and Volstagg? Elf dude has a stone with what looks like fire in it. The last Kursed stone. The head honcho Elf, Malekith, stabbed Algrim, the horn dude, and shoved it in his stomach so he could smuggle it in. 

"Once he's in the dungeon, he, Algrim, will dig it out and crush it. Then there's like...lava under his skin and he turns into this horrifying monster with the armor becoming a part of him. I don't know, but he's extremely strong. He breaks the shield generator so the ships can get in and attack. He's...he's the one that kills Queen Frigga." She didn't mean to sound quite so unintelligent, but it was like watching a movie in her mind. Sometimes she had to wait for the answers to fully present themselves as they were still getting situated and the finer details were still slow to become clear.

Odin's eye narrowed at her last sentence and he and Thor shared a look. Thor started to turn to leave and Darcy gripped his arm. At his questioning look, she tried to explain the rest as best as she could. "Those ships, they're the Dark Elf Harrows. They have something like the Romulan cloaking device. No, you wouldn't understand that comparison. Somehow, they can turn invisible. Heimdall can't see it, can't hear it until it's upon him, and they make it past the Bifrost without anyone noticing. With the shield generator destroyed...they just come right in. They are only an hour or so away."

There was an eerie stillness as Thor and Odin stared at her before they both broke into motion. Odin slammed his staff down on the ground, an unbelievably loud boom echoing out of the study to fill the rest of the palace. Thor snagged one arm around her waist and tugged her into him, her chest colliding with his armor as she gasped like some cheesy romance heroine on the front of an erotica novel. His fingers twined into her hair and tilted her head up and he bent down, pausing just a breath away from her lips. 

"You are truly worthy of a place in Asgard, My Lady. My only regret is that we do not have time to celebrate our bonding. At least, not at this moment," Thor whispered, his ridiculously blue eyes fixed on her parted lips. 

Darcy's heart actually stuttered and heat filled her lower stomach at the sensual promise behind his words. Her hands slid against the rough hair of his beard as she cupped his face and leaned up to capture his mouth, _finally_. It didn't start out tentative at all. The kiss was immediately demanding and all-encompassing, his tongue parting her lips as soon as their lips touched. Her fingers tangled into his hair, gripping slightly to pull him closer, and his hand flexed on her back to align their bodies completely as he stood to his full height, lifting her off the ground. 

Jesus. Jesus Christ. Most of her mind was mush and seriously didn't understand why they weren't both already naked while a smaller part screamed at her to not wrap her legs around his waist and grind into him like she wanted to in front of his _father!_ It was a feminine gasp from the doorway that finally broke through their lust-driven minds and made them stop trying to climb inside each other through their mouths. Separating slightly, Darcy licked the flavor of Thor from her lips and blinked lazily at Thor's hooded eyes, the blue of them now almost a midnight color. 

She was still pressed tightly to him, almost an entire foot off the ground because he was that much taller than her, and his fingers were still combing through her hair. The situation finally caught up to her again and she noticed armed soldiers in a semi-circle around Odin and the woman from her vision standing in the doorway watching her and Thor with her hand over her mouth and wide eyes. The Queen. Frigga. _Thor's mother!_

Darcy was never an easy blusher, but the blush that spread up her cheeks was so intense she almost felt the heat radiating from her skin. She squeaked and slapped at Thor's shoulders, looking at him with wide pleading eyes, her gaze practically screaming for him to put her down. Thor let out a deep rumbling chuckle, a boyish smile on his face, and he let her slide slowly down his body until her feet touched the ground. 

Even as her eyes rapidly looked from Thor to Frigga, she couldn't ignore the pleasure rubbing against him caused and her blush only increased. Seriously, she can't remember ever blushing this badly in her entire life. Once she was stable, Darcy snapped out a fist and punched Thor's kidney before she could stop herself. Hitting solid Asgardian armor with a bare fist could never be a good idea, but when the hit impacted, Thor actually _grunted_ and _stumbled back_. 

She looked just as surprised as him, their wide eyes meeting each others. She narrowed her eyes, sure he had just been faking, and he shook his head. "No, I did not feign my reaction. Lady Darcy..." Thor spoke softly, his face darkening in worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't like Jane. *breath of relief*. There, I said it. I love the friendship between Darcy and Jane the fandom has given her, though. I've read dozens of stories that I loved Jane in, some of my favorites in fact. However, in the movies, Jane couldn't really care less about Darcy. Every interaction between them consists of Jane telling Darcy to shut up, yelling at Darcy for something, looking surprised when Darcy says something intelligent, or completely disregarding Darcy entirely. I mean...Even when Darcy got teleported in Thor 2, she didn't even spare a worried glance. Whenever there's a battle, Jane is either immediately worried about the science or Thor. No second thought given to Darcy. And the sad thing is I went back to rewatch the Thor movies to get inspiration for their friendship and I just ended up hating Jane. Like, wanting to throw her off the Bifrost hate. So...that's how this fic originated. Haha Sorry for the rant, but I feel a little better. XD


	3. The Celestial Element

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mystical swords, armor, and a little black hole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to my awesome and fantastic beta [jdho2!](http://archiveofourown.org/users/jdho2/pseuds/jdho2)  
> She makes everything better for all of you readers and I can't thank her enough. 
> 
> Any existing mistakes are the result of my own negligence. 
> 
>  
> 
> **Before:**
> 
>  
> 
> Even as her eyes rapidly looked from Thor to Frigga, she couldn't ignore the pleasure rubbing against him caused and her blush only increased. Seriously, she can't remember ever blushing this badly in her entire life. Once she was stable, Darcy snapped out a fist and punched Thor's kidney before she could stop herself. Hitting solid Asgardian armor with a bare fist could never be a good idea, but when the hit impacted, Thor actually grunted and stumbled back.
> 
> She looked just as surprised as him, their wide eyes meeting each others. She narrowed her eyes, sure he had just been faking, and he shook his head. "No, I did not feign my reaction. Lady Darcy..." Thor spoke softly, his face darkening in worry.

.  
.  
.  
.  
.

The noises of the guards preparing for battle and Odin's commands broke into Darcy's imminent freak-out and she forcefully shook her head. "Okay, well, apparently there is still a lot more to learn about what all the Aether did to me. I can't think about it right now because I'll start freaking out, you'll worry, and there's no time to worry right now. In fact, there's has been a total lack of time to do _anything_ today but react and keep moving forward.

"Jesus, has this all really been just one day? I feel like there should be a limit to the number of times your life can change drastically in just one day. Normally people get at least a year between each one and...Nevermind. Way off target. I'm not going to panic. You have to go do what you need to do, Thor." Darcy clamped her mouth shut as soon as she was done with her 'I'm not panicking, this is me not panicking, everything's fine' babble. 

Taking a deep breath through her nose and slowly letting it out, she couldn't quite name the expression on Thor's face or Frigga's, who just made it to their side. Thor's face was an entertaining blend of amusement, affection, worry, and confusion. It was pretty adorable. Frigga just looked a little wary and slightly amused. 

Darcy's mind did what it always did when something dangerous was happening and started wondering about nonsense, like how she was supposed to address Frigga. She went through the same list she did with Odin, excluding the insults and changing king into queen. She really wished Frigga had another title like Odin did. Allfather really worked well for any occasion, but just calling Frigga 'Queen' seemed a little weird. My Queen? But she wasn't technically Darcy's Queen, at least no yet. Titles were hard.

"Are you going to introduce us, Thor?" Frigga asked, a teasing quality in her voice. 

Thor jolted and tore his eyes away from staring at Darcy with a sheepish look. "Of course. Lady Darcy, this is my mother, Queen of Asgard, Frigga. Mother, this is Lady Darcy Lewis, my Bond Mate," Thor declared, a proud look crossing his face as he shifted to curl an arm around Darcy, his warm palm resting against the small of her back. 

Darcy bowed her head slightly and tried to hold in her internal panic attack and just decided to wing it. "Queen Frigga, it's an honor to meet you." Hey, it sounded good when she said it to Odin before. 

Frigga's face had lit up with pleasure, and she smiled kindly while grasping Darcy's hands in both of hers. "Oh, my dear, call me Frigga, please. It is a pleasure to finally meet my son's Bond Mate. I had begun to fear you'd never appear. It is unfortunate we can not celebrate your meeting properly, but never fear, the day's troubles will end soon enough," Frigga said in such a kind voice, Darcy felt her muscles relax and her anxiety melt away. 

"Thank you," Darcy whispered, not realizing how tightly wound up she had been. She also noted how Frigga said the same thing as Thor about celebrating their meeting. Context was _everything_. 

Frigga's smile softened and she patted Darcy's cheek gently, in a completely maternal action. It was surprising how much Darcy relished it, just now realizing some part of her was still a small child who missed a mother's touch. She didn't think of Frigga as her mother, and certainly didn't love her as much as you should your mother, but Darcy could totally see herself eventually feeling that way. It was a shocking but welcome side benefit to finally finding Thor. 

With a knowing look, Frigga turned toward Thor and made a shooing motion. "Your father needs you. I will keep watch over your lady love until everything is resolved," Frigga commanded, and Darcy could suddenly see the badass in Frigga. 

Looking torn, Thor glanced from Darcy to Odin, a crease appearing between his eyebrows. Darcy smiled gently and reached up to smooth it out and caressed his cheek, feeling vindicated at actually being able to do that now. "Go. I will be safe, I promise. Asgard needs you. In fact, the universe does," Darcy firmly said, dropping her hand and nodding towards the door the guards were exiting through. 

_"The Einherjar'_ , her mind supplied. 

Thor caught her hand and raised it to his lips to brush a soft kiss over her knuckles and smiled when her fingers twitched. His smile really was a marvel to behold. His eyes brightened, tiny wrinkles fanned out from his eyes, and he always looked so carefree in that moment. "I will return to your side as soon as possible, my lady," he vowed, his eyes becoming serious. 

"I'll be waiting," Darcy promised back, squeezing his fingers gently before pulling her hand away and slightly pushing him towards the door. "Go kick ass."

Thor grinned, and with a wink she wasn't at all prepared for, he turned and strode from the room with a purposeful stride. Darcy could feel her eyes going googly and her lips lift in a dopey smile and couldn't stop it at all as she watched him leave. Frigga coughed delicately in a poor attempt to cover a laugh, and Darcy snapped back to reality. She thought she should be embarrassed about being caught checking out Thor in front of his mom, but let's be honest, it would be more embarrassing for someone not to check him out. 

With a shrug, Darcy explained herself by saying, "It's been a really weird day." 

Frigga looped her arm through Darcy's and started leading her towards the back of the huge study. "Yes, I've been told some of it. Would you care to share all of it?" she asked, waving her hand at a huge heavy wooden door with a carving of runes and it opened by itself. 

Darcy tried not to be startled, but between doors magically opening, her mind starting to translate the runes into English, and thinking over Frigga's question, she let out a shocked laugh. Frigga tossed her concerned look but continued leading her into another room that was wide open and looked like a royal sitting room. Huge plush couches, large wooden tables with extremely detailed carvings, and a wide-open terrace with plants she'd never seen made up the room. Well, Darcy wasn't very well versed on plants on earth, but she's pretty sure she would have heard about at rainbow colored rose looking flower.

Shaking her head, she tried to prioritize what was the most immediate concern. "There's about to be a mini war happening. Are we sure we want to be in a room where half of it is a terrace?" Well, she didn't think it before she spoke, but that really was the most pressing concern at the moment. A plus, brain. 

Frigga looked at her in amusement as she sat down on one of the couches and invited Darcy to join her. "There are wards surrounding this room, nothing should be able to get in. If something does overpower my wards, I am not entirely defenseless," Frigga said, moving her cloak slightly to show Darcy a sword and a few daggers. Well, Frigga was _definitely_ badass. 

Darcy took a seat in a chair kitty-corner to Frigga's spot with a nod and appreciated that while Frigga thought her question was amusing, she didn't look at Darcy in a patronizing way. Maybe Darcy was still over sensitive to people treating her like she was dumber than she was or dismissing everything she said as ignorant or unimportant. She didn't think that insecurity would disappear anytime soon. It had been a long time since someone listened to her words with interest or respect. 

Maybe some of that had been her own fault. She'd let Jane treat her that way and made excuses for Jane's behavior. She'd spent entirely too much time with someone that was honestly a brilliant astrophysicist when Darcy didn't know much about that field. Not understanding what other scientists were saying, not being able to keep up or offer anything relating to astrophysics, and Jane being surprised when Darcy actually said something intelligent all contributed to Darcy actually subconsciously believing she was stupid. 

She wasn't though. Darcy was really smart in her own fields, and they didn't have to be the same as Jane's in order to qualify her as intelligent. Damn it, she was going to have to start being consciously aware of how she reacts to certain things now to make sure her reactions weren't based on that insecurity. That was really the only way to beat it back; stop the reaction right when it happens and reaffirm to yourself that the insecurity wasn't true. 

All of that was so unimportant right now, though. Everything that happened in the last few hours felt like it was strangling her and her mind was so chaotic with all of the events, she couldn't just focus on one. Darcy must have looked like she was going to hurl because Frigga leaned forward and grasped Darcy's hands again with a gentle squeeze. Frigga didn't ask Darcy to talk about it all again, but her patient eyes told Darcy that she'd wait and listen to every word. It was tremendously relieving to have someone, anyone, willing to listen right now. 

Darcy took a deep breath and let the calmness of Frigga and the warmth of the sun streaming in through the terrace seep into her bones. She didn't know when she'd opened her mouth, but suddenly she was spilling everything that happened today to Frigga. How she was still reeling from Jane's duplicity and cruelty, how she was fairly certain she'd have nightmares about being yanked randomly into desolate worlds, and about how she was still utterly terrified about the Aether randomly torturing her again. 

She confessed she was still unsure if Thor and she were really going to make it together after having to almost beg him to acknowledge her. The fear and uncertainty of the random knowledge and visions the Aether caused made her feel like she wasn't in control of her own body anymore. There were so many different extreme emotions rioting in her that she was starting to wonder what it felt like to be normal, and it had only been one day. Darcy scrubbed angrily at the tears that had fallen as she spoke and sighed, her whole body slumping back into the chair. 

"And now...now the Aether has evolved into something different. At least, that's what Eir and King Odin said. The knowledge and visions were easier to access after it combined with my soul and the soul bond and it seems to still be settling in and growing. My mind just started translating those ruins on the door and they look like nothing but weirdly beautiful symbols to me. I punched Thor earlier playfully and he actually was pushed back a step! So it's not just my mind that's not completely my own anymore, my body is turning into something I don't know. Now we're at war and I have no idea how any of this is going to turn out," Darcy finished, feeling drained and utterly exhausted after letting everything out. 

Frigga looked contemplative as she stood and went to a table in the corner of the room that had expensive looking gold glasses and a golden pitcher. Darcy had always been more partial to silver, but she supposed she'd have to get used to a lot of gold. Shaking the stupid thought away, she murmured a thank you while taking the glass of water Frigga handed her. Taking a sip, Darcy was surprised that it was the freshest water she'd ever tasted. She had never been a water snob, but she might turn into one after this. 

Gracefully settling back into her spot, Frigga took an elegant sip before saying, "There is nothing any of us can do but take the changes your body and mind are going through as they come. When Asgard prevails over the Dark Elves, because we will, Eir and I will attempt to find the answers you seek. Meditation is also a useful tool when one feels disconnected from themselves. I will attempt to aid you in your learning and understanding of this new part of yourself, Darcy. You are not alone. Soul Bonds are sacred in Asgard. You will always be welcome here. Also, from what I witnessed earlier, I do not foresee my son letting you walk your path alone." Frigga sent a teasing grin towards Darcy with the last sentence and chuckled when Darcy blushed.

It was so nice to have some actions she could take set out before her and the reassurance that someone would be next to her the whole way. Disregarding the embarrassing reminder of making out with her son in front of her, Frigga was such a bolstering force. Darcy knew without a doubt that Frigga was an amazing queen and mother. A surge of gratefulness washed through her for everything Frigga was willing to do for her. Just as she opened her mouth to express even a fraction of that gratitude, an absurdly loud horn blared through the open windows and terrace. 

Jumping up, Darcy stared wide-eyed out the terrace doors and twitched when Frigga's hand landed on her shoulder. "All is well. That was Heimdall's horn, Gjallarhorn, announcing the beginning of the battle," Frigga assured, but her hand didn't leave Darcy's shoulder, and she didn't move away. 

Darcy squeezed Frigga's hand on her shoulder and moved out onto the terrace, sucking in a breath as she saw a translucent golden globe closing and surrounding the palace. She didn't know why they waited until now to close it, but she hoped it wasn't delayed because someone was hurt. There was a loud booming noise and Darcy whipped her head to the left and watched in horror as two Elf warriors leaped out of a ship as it was blown up. They managed to drop through the last feet of open air before the shield closed, their ship exploding against the shield.

Normally, Darcy would swear they couldn't possibly survive a drop from that height, but these were creatures she didn't have any experience with. The Aether, or whatever it was now, whispered that they could survive it. Looking wildly back at Frigga, the image of Frigga dying in a puddle of her own blood while trying to protect Darcy unmercifully taunted her. Gripping Frigga's arm, she tugged her back into the room and wished the terrace had doors she could close and that the room didn't have so many damn windows. 

Frigga shrugged off her cloak and unsheathed her sword while gripping a dagger in her other hand. Darcy kept trying to pull Frigga to the part of the room in shadows, her eyes searching out the windows for any sign of the elves and her ears straining for sounds of close battle. In the far distance, she saw lightning light up the sky and she let the relief of Thor still being alive sweep through her even as her stomach clenched in dread. She didn't want her vision to become true. She'd never be able to live with herself if her presence was the reason Thor's mom died. 

The room that had been calming was now full of tension and horrible anticipation. Darcy hardly breathed and Frigga stood eerily still as they both waited for any sign of an attack. Darcy swallowed a yelp when she saw the two elves staring at Frigga and her from the terrace. They started looking closely at something she couldn't see one second and then abruptly she could. A light green translucent barrier stood between the terrace and the room and Darcy remembered what Frigga said about wards. 

Darcy would have more faith in them if she didn't recognize one of the elves. Malekith. His eerie pale blue eyes looked at them almost feverishly, anger contorting his pasty white face into something even more hideous. Darcy did file away a pondering of just how much time he must spend braiding his hair every day because it looked hella complicated. She did admit it looked cool, though, and if she wasn't sure he wanted to kill her, she'd ask about it. Darcy also had a hard time labeling the color of the armor they wore over the black leather stuff. White? Yellow-white? Maybe an eggshell? 

The elf minion next to Malekith shooting an appropriately sci-fi movie like weapon at the ward snapped Darcy's brain back on track and she bit her lip when she noticed the ward waver after the tenth consecutive blast. Frigga stepped in front of Darcy and took a battle stance, the armor over her dress gleaming in the sun, and Darcy's throat tightened.

"You must do everything I ask, no questions," Frigga said lowly, deathly serious. 

No. 

_No._

That was _not_ going to happen.

A fierce determination filled Darcy and she felt the Aether and her soul respond, surging through her veins readily. She began to glow a silver with deep purple twining through it and she stepped away from Frigga in case it was harmful. When that thought crossed her mind, she instinctively knew to trust whatever was happening and embraced it. The glow intensified and she closed her eyes as she felt her hair lift into a breeze that shouldn't be there. 

It felt like her soul was soaring and finally set free to expand, and she gripped the sudden weight in her right hand while her left arm tugged as a different weight settled onto it. There was new strength in her bones and where she had felt scared and unbalanced after the Aether and her soul merging, this felt different. She felt complete. She felt _whole._ With one last flare of power, everything settled and she heard a slight choking sound. Opening her eyes, she saw Frigga looking as ungraceful as she suspected she ever would. Frigga's eyes were wide and her mouth was open in surprise, staring at Darcy incredulously. 

Darcy looked down and took in the armor covering her body, the sword in her right hand, and the shield on her left arm. She vaguely thought that she should be more shocked or scared, but it felt natural. This had always been what she was supposed to be and it had just taken until now for it to happen. She had on thick leather pants and dark purple and dark silver armor covering every important body part, which was pretty much every part on her upper torso. Her entire chest was covered all the way to her neck and she had knee high purple-silver boots that didn't have a ridiculous heel. The only bare portion of her skin showing was her upper arms and as she worried about that being a vulnerability, chainmail appeared from nowhere to cover the skin one link at a time.

"Well, that was unexpected. Thank god it's not a chainmail bikini," Darcy breathed in relief, not caring if no one else understood that that was a legit concern after all the MMORPGs she'd played. 

Frigga reached over and grasped her right wrist, twisting it so the blade of her sword gleamed in the sun and the ruins etched into it were readable. "Celestial Element," Frigga breathed, her eyes wide with awe when she looked at Darcy. "Darcy...this sword...it's only ever been a legend."

Darcy had no idea how to respond to that and fortunately, or unfortunately, didn't have time to speak as the ward broke with muffled rumble. She shoved Frigga behind her and unconsciously raised her shield to block the laser blast from the elf minion's gun in the same movement. All she could think was that she wasn't going to allow Frigga to die because of her. It was the only thing that mattered in that moment. Darcy could die, she could be hurt, but the woman that welcomed her with such warmth could not be harmed in any way. 

Two daggers flew from behind Darcy and her mouth dropped open as they both lodged into elf minion's chest and he went down. Blinking in surprise, Darcy looked at Frigga with her own awe when she stepped up beside Darcy. Frigga flicked her hair back and looked back with all the confidence of someone that just killed a warrior without her dress even getting rumpled. Darcy smirked and looked back at Malekith. 

Malekith was drawing his sword as he stalked closer towards them in a circular pattern, his eyes locked on Darcy. Frigga looked at him with contempt and raised her sword into a ready position, saying, "Surrender creature, and you may just survive this encounter."

Darcy had to give Frigga props for having balls of steel, but she really didn't see Malekith surrendering. He had bet everything he had on the Aether and was fanatical about getting it back. There would be no stopping him unless he was dead. As Frigga started carefully mirroring Malekith's moves, Darcy let out a breath of frustration. Sure, she didn't really know how to wield a sword or how her powers worked, but she was the one dressed for battle here. Like hell she was going to stand by and watch Frigga battle Malekith on her own. 

She was too late though and watched with bated breath as Malekith swung his sword and Frigga parried, her sword glowing a blue with each hit. It was a pretty fast and brutal battle, but Frigga actually disarmed Malekith and held the tip of her sword to his throat. Holy googly moogly, Frigga had some mad skills. Darcy was pretty sure she was developing a serious case of hero worship when it came to Frigga. All the excitement at seeing Frigga kick ass drained from Darcy when she saw Malekith reaching for one of the black hole grenades she's seen in her vision. 

He lifted it and let Frigga see his finger on the button that would activate it and gestured to the sword at his neck, the threat obvious. Darcy felt the Aether surge as her mind rebelled the image of Frigga being torn apart and wiped from existence instead of being stabbed. Striding forward, she felt energy from every living thing and inanimate object swell and blaze, eager to combine with her energy. Abruptly, knowledge flowed into her and she knew what the Aether was. It wasn't just some creepy black and red liquid, it was an Infinity Stone in liquid form. The Aether wasn't some foreign entity, and it wasn't meant for just destruction. Holy shit.

Aether really _was_ the fifth element. 

It was a part of _everything_ in existence.

_The Celestial Element._

Every single thing in the universe contained Aether and when the Aether Infinity Stone had combined with her soul, it gave her the power to control that Aether. The Dark Elves didn't have the power to truly unlock the potential of the Aether Infinity Stone and their dark souls only allowed it to be used in destructive ways. It was so much more, the potential was limitless and Darcy couldn't wrap her head around all of it. All she really knew was even if Malekith detonated that grenade, Darcy could _control_ the black hole. 

Grinning fiercely, Darcy reached out with her power and drew all the energy she could to herself, feeling it surround her form in a swirling circle. As Frigga slowly let her sword drop away from Malekith, Darcy instantly pushed the energy to encase Frigga and tugged it back, dragging Frigga back behind Darcy. She kept the energy barrier around Frigga as she faced a snarling Malekith. 

"Witch! Your spells won't protect you from my wrath. Where is the Aether!?" Malekith demanded, picking up his sword and still holding the grenade. 

"Right here," Darcy snarled, baring her teeth. "You're not getting it back. It chose me, and it doesn't seem to be leaving anytime soon."

Malekith growled and narrowed his eyes, lifted his hand, and attempted to pull the Aether out of her. It didn't even twitch in his direction, just kept swirling around her as she guided it. His eyes widened before fury swept over his face and he said, "Impossible. I created the Aether Infinity Stone, only I can command it!" It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than her. 

"Kids, eh? Never any respect," Darcy mock commiserated, looking at him with wide sympathetic eyes before her face fell into hard lines. "I would stop that twitching. You set off the grenade, you're the one that will die."

In the back of her mind, Darcy was freaking herself out a little bit. She'd never been a warrior and now she was taking on a seasoned warrior with an icy calm she'd never experienced, especially not in a situation like this. Some of that anxiety made it to the surface as she saw Malekith look at her in defiance and press the button to arm the grenade and swing his arm back in preparation of throwing it towards her. 

When the grenade was half a foot in front of her and it exploded open, a black hole rapidly forming, she reversed the gravitational force without even thinking about it and it was Malekith that was being pulled into the black hole. Darcy jumped back away from it and watched through wide eyes as Malekith was pulled apart with a scream of agony, his body disappearing as the black hole folded in on itself. It was kind of an anti-climatic ending, all things considered. Maybe she'd seen one too many movies that always had a standoff end super dramatically. Still...

It was probably one of the most horrific things she'd ever seen and the panic and left over adrenaline made her want to simultaneously laugh and cry. She'd just killed someone. She'd just torn someone apart and erased them from existence. Darcy really didn't know what to do with that knowledge, didn't know how to accept that she had that kind of power. For fuck sakes, Darcy wasn't responsible enough to have this kind of power. What if she went all Dark Phoenix and just started killing everything!? 

What if she got mad at someone and accidentally created a black hole? Darcy knew herself, she got really pissy when her period came and was liable to hit someone that stood in the way of her and her comfort foods. What if during one of those times she freaked out and stole all their energy or something!? What kind of insanity was the Aether Infinity Stone thinking when it chose her, perpetual intern Darcy, to be the wielder of the Celestial Element!?

The sound of her sword hitting the ground with a clang made her jump and her freak out paused as she stared down at the silver and black blade. She studied the ruins that spelled out 'Celestial Element' and struggled not to resent it. Darcy used to get annoyed at the characters in books that got all angsty and angry when they were suddenly endowed with kick ass powers because, hello, almost everyone normal wishes they had a super power. Now she understood a little. Having that power changed _everything._

Sighing, Darcy reached out her hand and started to bend over to pick up the sword, but it flew up and settled right into her palm. Okay, that was pretty kick ass. She could totally do Thor's hammer trick with her badass sword and she did look smoking hot in her armor, so it wasn't all bad. As the excitement built over the positive parts of the situation, Darcy was able to think rationally about everything. She remembered Frigga's words from earlier. She wasn't alone, she had people to help her. She could do this. When she had nightmares about Malekith being ripped apart while screaming, she'd just have to deal with it then. 

"Pardon me, Darcy, but could you possibly release me now?" Frigga calmly asked.

Darcy squeaked and twirled around, looking sheepishly at Frigga sitting calmly on the floor inside the still swirling energy barrier. Okay, she could do this. She just had to remember everything Mr. Miyagi and Dumbledore had taught her. "Wax on, wax off. Do, or do not. There is no try," Darcy whispered to herself, making the wax off motion with her hand while ignoring Frigga's raised eyebrow.

Astonishingly, it totally worked and the energy dissipated back into the room, finding where it had originally come from. Darcy grinned at the accomplishment and reached out a hand to help Frigga to her feet. Frigga smoothed out her dress and eyed Darcy with a mixture of awe and contemplation. "I am in your debt. You saved my life and were very courageous, Lady Darcy," Frigga said very seriously. 

Shaking her head, Darcy sheathed her sword in the sheath on the back of her armor and flailed her arms slightly. "You don't owe me anything, My Queen, this was all my fault to begin with. The only reason this battle even happened is because I was brought here. If anything, I'm in all of Asgard's debt," Darcy denied, uncomfortable with the idea of Asgard's Queen thinking for even a second she owed Darcy something. 

"This was always Asgard's battle, Darcy. Regardless of you being here or not, we would have gone to war in order to stop the Dark Elves. Your warning and bravery has saved many lives this day," Frigga asserted, her eyes firm. 

"I...please don't think you owe me anything. I really didn't know what I was doing half the time and your hospitality has been more than enough to make us even if there was even a debt. Really, I was brought here to see if Asgard could help me. If you still think there's a debt...just help me understand these powers, and I'll be the one to owe you," Darcy said, turning her denial into a bargain when she saw Frigga about to protest again. 

Frigga smiled almost proudly at Darcy's wheedling and nodded regally. Motioning to Darcy's armor, she grinned mischievously and teased, "My, don't you look fearsome. I daresay Sif will have some competition."

Instead of blushing like she was sure should have been her reaction, Darcy struck a pose and grinned back. "I do make this look good, don't I?"

Odin and Thor entered the room to the sound of Frigga and Darcy's laughter, both of them pausing to watch the women smiling and seemingly happy. Frigga spotted Odin first and Darcy could tell Frigga truly loved Odin by the way her eyes lit up. Frigga squeezed her shoulder as she moved past Darcy and went to Odin, pausing to grasp Thor's hand and murmur something to him. 

Darcy's breath whooshed out of her when her eyes connected with Thor's. There were a few cuts littering his face and his hair was windblown but other than that he looked fine. He responded to his mother softly, his eyes never straying from Darcy, and when Frigga released his hand he strode directly towards her. Setting Mjolnir on a nearby table, he stepped into Darcy, searching her face with concern and relief at seeing she was alright. 

The air between them was charged with restrained energy and every molecule in Darcy strained towards him. Surrendering to the need, Darcy reached up and grasped his face to pull him down so she could taste him. His arms banded around her, one under her ass to lift her and the other grasped the back of her head to adjust the angle for a deeper kiss. This time Darcy did wrap her legs around his waist, however, she still refrained from any grinding. She just needed to be as close to him as she possibly could after all that she'd seen today. 

A soft groan fell from his mouth into hers, and she let him take control of the kiss, his tongue sliding against hers. One of her hands tangled into his hair to pull him closer and she quickly grew frustrated over not being able to feel her body pressed against his due to their armor. Darcy pulled her lips from his when her lungs started burning and laid her forehead against his while trying to calm her breathing. Mother of Pearl, he smelled and tasted more delicious than anyone right off the battlefield had a right too. He smelled like leather and spice with an underlying sharp zing she remembered smelling after a lightning strike and it was making her a little heady. 

His hand tugged very gently at her hair and she opened her eyes to look into his with a happy sigh. He leaned back a little, supporting her weight as he looked down at her armor with a raised eyebrow. "It appears things were eventful here as well," Thor commented, a question lining his words. 

Darcy snorted and laughed a little, burrowing her head into his neck, his hair tickling her cheek as it fell over her. "You could say that. Malekith and one of his minions made it in before the shield was up, your mom totally kicked ass and took out the minion before I even knew what was happening and then she beat Malekith in a sword fight. Somewhere in there this armor and sword appeared and I realized the Aether Infinity Stone gave me control over the Celestial Element," Darcy spoke casually, so past her freak out from earlier. She had no more fucks to give. She was also going to ignore ripping someone apart with a black hole for as long as she possibly could.

Thor's eyes grew darker with each word, obviously not liking Frigga and her being in a battle without backup. He walked to one of the couches without letting her go and Darcy ended up sitting in his lap once he'd sat down. She was completely okay with this arrangement, if only the armor could disappear again. Magically, it did exactly that as soon as she wished it away. Well...that was handy. Darcy blinked down at the leggings and shirt she'd been wearing before the armor and shook her head. What was her life? Seriously. 

She felt the vibrations before Thor's deep chuckle filled the air, his face soft with affection for her. "It does require some adjustment to become comfortable with enchanted armor," Thor sympathized, but she could see the humor in his eyes at her bafflement. 

Darcy heaved a sigh and snuggled into him as much as she could while he was still wearing his armor, his arms pulling her in close. He really was a rock star snuggler. Her face was pressed into his neck again and she let his scent and warmth ease the last of her tension.

He was safe.

She was safe.

They were _together._

Nothing else was more important than those three things, and she was one lucky woman to have all three at once. "I'm glad you're safe," Darcy whispered into his skin. 

His content sigh ruffled her hair as he rested his cheek against the top of her head, his body relaxing into hers. "As I am you," he murmured back. 

Silence settled around them like a blanket and Darcy went limp as Thor's fingers started massaging the back of her neck. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted from the day's events and should logically be physically exhausted, but she wasn't. Energy still thrummed through her body and she felt like she could physically handle another hundred battles. It was something she should be thankful for, but it was so abnormal for a normal human that it just reminded her that she was something _else_ now. 

It would take time. She'd seen and heard a thousand variations of that phrase throughout her life, and while it was sound advice for almost any obstacle, it was little comfort to her now. Darcy had always been impatient and she wanted to know everything that had changed in her mind and body right now. It wasn't going to happen though and she'd have to swallow that bitter pill. Just one more unsavory harsh truth of reality for the day. 

Darcy pressed a soft kiss to the skin of Thor's neck and pulled back to settle back onto his thighs. Reaching up, she cradled his face and traced her fingers softly around the cuts on his cheek and forehead that were already healing. Thor grasped her right hand and pressed a warm kiss to her palm, smiling up at her with soft eyes. He really was a beautiful person and Darcy found herself reeling when she reminded herself that Thor was _hers_. 

Smiling tenderly, she brushed some of his hair that had fallen across his face back and dropped a kiss to his temple before leaning back with a sigh. "How did it go on your end? Are there a lot of damages? Did anyone else get into the palace?" Darcy asked, keeping her voice low as to not disturb the quiet of the room more than necessary. 

"Asgard was victorious, my lady. The Dark Elves are all slain or await their judgment in the dungeons. Asgard has suffered some minor damages that are easily repaired, however, there were a few honorable warriors that sacrificed their lives. Their souls are at peace in Valhalla, do not trouble yourself so," Thor spoke as quietly as Darcy and titled his head when Darcy gave him a look of surprise at his last sentence. "I can see the guilt burdening you in your eyes, Lady Darcy. You hold no blame in this battle. You are but another victim to the plots of forces outside your control."

The tears that pricked her eyes at that were a surprise and Darcy blinked rapidly to erase them. Her mouth twisted ruefully, and she looked down. "I killed someone today," Darcy whispered a little brokenly. "Malekith. He had one of those black hole grenades and was using it to threaten Frigga after she'd disarmed him. I...in that vision Frigga died protecting me and I...Anyway, I couldn't let that happen. When he found out the Aether Infinity Stone had evolved and wouldn't come back, he threw the grenade. These powers...I reversed the black hole and killed him."

Thor's face fell into sympathy and there was pain in his eyes for her. His hands were warm as he tilted her face up so he could see her eyes, anger towards himself showing when he saw a tear fall down her cheek. Leaning forward, Thor kissed the tear away and pulled her back into him, his hands rubbing up and down her back soothingly. "I never wanted you to experience such a thing and deeply regret bringing you to my home has caused you to," Thor murmured. He sounded so full of pain and regret that Darcy's heart clenched. 

Darcy laughed wetly and buried her face in his hair, speaking softly by his ear. "It's not your fault, Thor. It really isn't. This was always my destiny. When I was on Earth, I always felt like I was just waiting for my life to start, waiting for what I was really supposed to be doing to show itself to me. Then the Aether Infinity Stone chose me, changed me, and even though I'm scared of what it's done, I know it's what was supposed to happen. Just like how I know I had no other choice than to kill Malekith. It'll just take a while to come to terms with all of that," Darcy mused, her tears trickling to stain his armor. 

"You are a strong and formidable person, Lady Darcy. Being victorious in a battle by slaying your opponent is an honorable accomplishment. It is unfortunate that the cost is so high and the first conquest is always the most difficult. I will endeavor to aid you in all things, my lady. You shall not face this battle alone," Thor promised, his lips moving against her cheek as he spoke.

Swallowing a sob, Darcy tightened her hold on Thor and let the tears flow. He couldn't make everything go away, he couldn't make her how she used to be, but he wouldn't ever let her face anything alone. Darcy had never had that before. She'd never had someone say they would stay by her side with such conviction and certainty that she couldn't doubt it. It was for that gift that she cried a little harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a link to a site that explains what Aether is as a superpower and I took it and ran with it. So, if you are wondering where that idea came from click the link. [Aether](http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Aether_Manipulation)
> 
> Also, here's a picture of Darcy's armor. It's actually concept art for Sif, but Sif wears red and silver in the movies and never quite wore that style. So, now it's Darcy's. :P [Armor](http://media.tumblr.com/a28383900111e60cde6e658a6197feff/tumblr_inline_mgc54yse8k1rnp9q5.jpg)
> 
> I also came down with a nasty cold and updates may be sporadic for a few weeks because of it. I can't get into the doctor until later next week, so I'm just toughing it out right now. I'm sorry for that, but I'll try my best not to make you all wait too long. The response to this story has been AMAZING and completely unexpected. I'm humbled and touched with every comment you all leave me. Thank you so much for enjoying my writing and taking the time to comment and inspire me!

**Author's Note:**

> So, there will be a twist on the Aether in this story and I will shift what I want because that is the power a writer possesses! *Evil cackle* 
> 
> This story was inspired by [Flustered's](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Flustered/pseuds/Flustered) story, [Plethora (of soulmates)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3397985/chapters/7458518) , Chapter 2, _So Many Smiles (and so many meanings)_. It's an amazing story and if you haven't read it, you should definitely do that now.


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